Things That Intrigue FIFA Visitors

I think one thing that has surprised me about the fans and visitors to the US during FIFA is their sheer delight in the littlest things that we take for granted.

Yellow school buses: They spot one and act like they’ve just found the last unicorn. Bus drivers let them look at our yellow school buses.

“They’re so clean!” “They have air conditioning!” “They’re really yellow!”

I’m sure some of them at least have watched US shows or movies. Did they think Hollywood made them up?

I don’t know.

Scottish fans (the Tartan Army) leased buses from a charter company and then something happened and they wouldn’t have enough busses. Someone suggested they lease some school busses, which they did. They rented fifteen of them. They wouldn’t have air conditioning or toilets, but they were safe transportation and the windows worked. district to go to the various venues. The Tartan Army knew what they were because they watch The Simpsons. At the end of their journey, they returned the buses and donated to the school. (I was sad. I liked Scotland.)

More on that in another story.

Flags: They were amazed at how many citizens display American flags. I know it’s the 250th celebration, but US citizens do have a thing about flying our flag.

Carrie Underwood put up 1,800 flags on her fence line. Good for her.

Fans reacting to huge flags.

Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag.

Air Conditioning: Yep, it’s a big deal. They’re going to miss it.

They even found some stadiums with air conditioning.

Which brings us to: Stadiums They were gob smacked. Even the high school and college stadiums. One man was showing off a high school stadium and he said, “In England this would be a professional stadium.”

Rodeo: I honestly was apprehensive about this. I figured there would be a whole lot of European fans who would be disgusted by rodeo and not understand it. I’m sure they still don’t understand it, but I didn’t see any negative rants about it. I did watch an English couple go to a rodeo a few months ago and post their reactions on their YouTube. They wanted to vomit. I’m sure they threw their cowboy hats and boots away on their way out the door.

At the rodeo in Dallas, English and Croatian fans broke out into a rousing rendition of Sweet Caroline during the rodeo. It’s safe to say a good time was had by all.

Surprisingly, all the soccer fans I saw enjoyed it. They bought their cowboy hats and bandanas. Some bought boots. Some bought the whole outfit…like Haaland and his crew or almost the whole outfit.

I used to work in a western store. The weeks before the stock show and rodeo were always busy. Every female wanted her cowgirl outfit to trap a cowboy. Every guy wanted his cowboy outfit to trap those pretty cowgirls.

Sometimes the real cowboys and cowgirls came in to shop. We did a strong business with the western crowd and, oddly enough, country singers. Merle Haggard ordered all his hats from us. Mr. Hooton, the owner of the store, knew how to crease his hats just right.

I understand the draw of western wear and I’m glad our visitors got to experience it.

I wish they’d been able to see a Native Pow Wow. Pow Wows always charge my batteries. They are beautiful and a wonderful tribute to an important part of our story.

Costco and Walmart: I laughed at this one. They took over the Arlington Walmart and had a blast.

Holy cow. “You can buy anything here!” At Costco: “They let you have samples for free? There are samples everywhere. They’re free?”

Yes, Costco is famous for its samples. When my son and his wife go shopping, they ask the boys if they want to go. The oldest seldom does. He’s a teen. He has important things to do, like work. The youngest asks where they’re shopping. Woodman’s, Walmart, Sam’s Club—he’s not interested. Costco? He perks up like a pug in a ball pit. He loves their samples.

I don’t do Costco, but I do Sam’s Club and Walmart. Wow. The things I don’t appreciate.

Buc-ee’s: “It’s a petrol station, but it’s as big as a football field.” Yes, Buc-ee’s is pretty amazing. I’ve never seen one. They look like a huge tourist trap to me, but then I like Cracker Barrel. Oddly, I can resist most of the junk there also. Except the little wooden peg games. I’m a sucker for those.

Dolly Parton built a similar “petrol station” but this one also has facilities for truckers, a little dog park, showers, laundry facilities, a lounge with a live band, all the trinkets, of course, and a good restaurant.

Ice in drinks: This amazes them. Wait staff automatically serve ice water when you sit down. I usually get mine with a slice of lemon. Our visitors react like someone is producing a rabbit out of a hat right in front of them.

Free refills! Oh. My. Gosh. Not only are the portions and drinks huge, there are free refills. I think there were some misconceptions at times. In some places, they give you a large if you order a medium. There’s small and large; however, a Whataburger medium drink is 32 ounces. That’s a pretty large drink wherever you’re from. Self-serve soft drinks and the variety!

Tailgating. A bunch of them attended some other events, baseball games and such. “They’re cooking right in the parking lot! Everyone invited us over to join them!”

Shooting ranges: Several got taken to shooting ranges to try them out. Well, that was an experience. I hope none get arrested when they get home. It’s happened.

Bass Pro

The variety of landscapes. They are amazed at how different the US is geographically. Many now understand why a lot of Americans don’t feel the need to leave the country to have a fun vacation.

Is hospitality a “thing?” Comment after comment about how friendly the people are. Servers and clerks are happy to help you. That’s not true everywhere, but it’s largely true. When we were remodeling our house in Odessa, Texas, I was the one doing most of the work. A plumber in Home Depot got to know me well and would always try to help me. He had retired but went to work managing their plumbing department. I could always depend on him to get me what I needed, explain the best way to do something, and not treat me like an idiot.

At McCoy’s Building Supply, a retired carpenter always made a beeline to help when he could. “It’s a lot cheaper to buy a full sheet of that plywood and cut it down yourself.”

“Oh, I’m building cabinets. I need straight edges and I can’t cut a straight line to save my life.”

He laughed. “Of course you can. You build a jig and zip right on down the sheet.” Then he showed me how to do it.

Friendly service is a thing and who doesn’t love that. One British guy said a friend took him through a drive-thru fast-food place. The girl taking their order was so friendly even over the intercom. Then they got to the window and she was smiling and visiting with them. He was amazed. “In the UK, you get ‘Yeah, what can I get for ya?’ No thanks, no smiles.”

Drive-thru: We have drive-thru everything. I suppose to some it seems like the height of laziness, but I often use them for a reason. If I ever go in Walgreens, I don’t walk out with that $3.00 prescription. I walk out with the prescription and $80 worth of stuff I forgot I “needed.”

A compilation of a little bit of everything.

I think what this has really shown me is how much we take for granted here. Thank you, soccer fans.